Rheinland-Pfalz F225: Another Baden-Württemberg-class frigate delivered to the Bundeswehr

Rheinland-Pfalz and her sisters have the highest displacement of any class of frigate worldwide, up to 7,200 tons

Another Baden-Württemberg-class frigate has been delivered to the Bundeswehr. On January 28, 2022, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems delivered the frigate “RHEINLAND-PFALZ”, number F225, to the Bundeswehr. This is the fourth ship of the Baden-Württemberg-class frigate of the German Navy.

Rheinland-Pfalz and her sisters have the highest displacement of any class of frigate worldwide, up to 7,200 tons, and are used to replace the Bremen class. She has a length of 149.52 m, beam is 18.80 m, and draft is 5 m. This class of frigates is primarily designed for low- and medium-intensity maritime stability operations, where they are supposed to provide tactical sea-to-land tactical fire support, asymmetric threat control at sea and support of special forces.

The Baden-Württemberg class frigate, also known as the F125, has been completely redesigned with highly complex systems and around 28,000 sensors that enable a very high degree of automation, making it possible to reduce the required number of crew members by about half compared to previous frigate classes. Moreover, the ships can remain in their theatre of operations for up to two years.

The Baden-Wurttemberg is designed in stealth technology, very difficult to detect: slab siding, enclosed sections, clean lines and minimal protrusions. The bridge section is sat overlooking the bow of the ship and the main mast is enclosed and integrated with the forward superstructure as normal. A second mast is aft of midships with the smoke funnels being enclosed and integrated into the aft superstructure.

The aerials of the Cassidian TRS-4D Active electronically scanned array radar will be distributed over the two pyramids. This will ensure that the ship remains operational in case of severe damage, such as accidents or enemy action. The frigate is equipped with a 360° infrared surveillance system, which is installed on the front surface of the tower mast at a position just lower than the air and surface search radar. On the stern is a helicopter flight deck and a full-service hangar, servicing two NH-90 helicopters at the same time, which each have a range of 790km.

The frigate has a standard crew of 110 and can accommodate up to 190 when needed. Compared to the previous generation frigates, the number of crews has decreased approximate 50%, which is achieved due to the ship’s high level of automation. In addition, this frigate can carry four armed boats provide the necessary transport.